(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a contents consignment sale system and method for Internet broadcasting. More specifically, the present invention relates to a contents consignment sale system and method for Internet broadcasting for receiving sales consignments on authored pieces from authors who have programs available for Internet broadcasting, converting the pieces into a predetermined contents data format, providing them to Internet users so that they may select and store desired contents in HDDs (hard disk drives), CDs (compact disks), or DVDs (digital versatile disks) according to their interests, and allowing the users to use the contents through an exclusive execution program. When a user desires to use the contents through the exclusive execution program, the system and method enable the user to receive permission from an Internet broadcasting station and acquire restoration information corresponding to the contents through the Internet, so that the user may use the authored pieces.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Various categories of contents have been provided to users as the Internet has been recently developed, and the field with the most growth latency among them is the entertainment industry, with the biggest market and the biggest growth potential thereof being the music and movie industry.
Not long ago, Internet broadcasting stations provided small moving picture services such as with the film size of 56K, and as high-speed Internet has recently been popularized they have attempted to provide high-quality moving pictures with sizes such as about 300K or 500K. The picture quality, however, is worse than that of the DVD, and the image and sound qualities are worse than those of general videotapes.
When many users concurrently use the moving pictures at the same time, the Internet performance speed becomes slower so that the moving pictures are stopped, the sound may howl, and signals may sometimes be interrupted, thereby causing inconvenience to the user.
In particular, attempting to start a VOD (video on demand) business for receiving fees is problematic, because the current Internet transmission speed and services cannot satisfy the users.
The reason for this is that the moving pictures available on the Internet are very inferior to DVDs and videotapes, and off-line service providers already provide stereo and hi-fi videotapes and DVDs so that users may enjoy movies and music videos with high-quality images and sound data at any time they desire. Therefore, on-line movie rental services are not yet developed.
To activate a VOD business, service providers must provide high-quality image and sound services that are much better than the hi-fi stereo videotapes and equivalent to the qualities of the DVDs, compared to the conventional moving picture services of 300K or 500K currently being provided by the Internet broadcasting stations.
Nowadays, cellular phones and PDA's enabling wireless Internet services are on the market, and in the near future, multimedia terminals capable of wireless Internet will be commonly installed in cars.
In America, more than one million cars with multimedia terminals have been sold, but the speed of the current wireless Internet service is much slower than that of the wire Internet service, and in particular, the Internet speed becomes further slower and the Internet is often disconnected because of the unstable state of wireless radio waves when the car is moving.
Cell phones, PDAs, and vehicular multimedia terminals for providing the wireless Internet service for providing high-quality moving pictures with quality images and sound data in fast moving cars have not yet been properly developed, but the wireless Internet services are involved in the very initial steps by providing such things as an electronic mail service and stock news, mainly for text communication with small data size, and wireless Internet terminals are currently being sold.
The user does not have much difficulty in using general text information such as email, stock information, or news on the wireless Internet while the user is moving, but in the case of attempting to receive a moving picture service, it is required that the mobile station does not move at all but remains at a single place, or it may be moved at the slow speed of a person's normal walking. Currently, it is still difficult for the user to receive high-quality image and sound services.
Further, the wireless Internet tends to have frequent interference by radio waves generated by various electronic home appliances such as radios, TVs, computers or cell phones, as well as cables, and the radio waves may not easily propagate into a room in a building. Even when the radio waves enter a room, they may be easily reflected by a metallic desk or a concrete wall to generate various problems, and hence it is more difficult for the user to use the wireless Internet than the wire Internet, and the speed of the wireless Internet is slower than that of the wire Internet. In addition, in some cases, the user may not be able to use the wireless Internet at all in a basement.
The communication speed when the mobile station remains motionless may be faster according to the development of communication devices, but the above-noted problems may not be completely solved because of the characteristics of the radio waves.
In particular, in the case the user uses the wireless Internet multimedia terminal in a fast running car, since the multimedia terminal cannot fully receive the radio waves while the car is running fast, the data transmission speed is greatly reduced. When the car passes through a tunnel or is on a street with many high buildings, turns around a mountain, goes through a low place, or passes between concrete walls, or when another car or a motorcycle passes closely by the car, there is substantial radio wave interference so that the user cannot receive various moving picture services such as quality movies, dramas, or music videos in the running car.